Decision makers

Confiscate Sonja the Bear

Sonja is not the only dancing bear in Albania but she is probably the youngest. Young brown bears –an endangered species in Albania – are usually taken from the mountains after their mothers are killed or are imported from neighboring countries. Most of them are confined in private zoos, in miserable conditions. They are bred incessantly and no attention is paid to their wellbeing and natural needs. Baby bears often are cannibalized or attacked by large males. Some of these bears are used as circus animals and they travel the country with their owners, until they die or are sold off somewhere else. However, this campaign is focused on Sonja, a young cub known to us as the dancing bear of Saranda. Sonja has been held captive from a very young age and is used by her captors to make money while she is forced to dance or sit for people to take pictures with her. She lives in appalling conditions, is malnourished and is often mistreated. With this petition we are asking the Ministry of Environment to confiscate Sonja from her owners. By releasing Sonja we will quite possibly save her life, but also make a strong case for the protection and rehabilitation of other captive wild animals suffering in this country. For more info on Sonja and this campaign please visit PAPA’s page on Facebook or write to us at papa.grup@gmail.com. Thanks for helping us free Sonja!

To His Excellency Fatmir Mediu, Minister of Environment, Forests and Water AdministrationRepublic of Albania

Dear MinisterI have got to know about Sonja, the dancing bear in Saranda. I have seen recent pictures and videos of her and learned about the abuses and neglect she is constrained to endure hour after hour, day after day. Sonja, a 18 months old cub, is being held captive by a family in Saranda. The cruel treatment of Sonja since she was a tiny baby has touched many Albanians and tourists who have seen her misery. Sonja is kept in a yard on a hill in Saranda where she is exposed to thirst, hunger and harsh weather. Sonja is being exploited on a daily basis. A metal ring has been inserted in her nose and a heavy chain is linked to the ring. The pierced hole in Sonja’s nose bleeds and she is sometimes hit with a stick. She surely has infections from the wounds infringed to her. Probably her claws and teeth are filed too. Sonja has a tiny frame and looks far too small for her age. She is malnourished and her fur is dull and scarce. She is forced to walk on the rocky beach in excruciating heat, without water and food, so that people can take pictures with her for a modest fee. Sonja is also forced to dance on a crowded beach while her owner pokes her. Sonja’s owners have contravened the Albanian law since the first beginning:

1. They have declared that they took Sonja from her den in Korça, thus clearly disrespecting articles 19 and 27 of Law No.10006, dated 23.10.2008, ON PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE.2. They are using Sonja as a circus animal, thus ignoring the article 30 of Law No.10006, dated 23.10.2008, ON PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE.

For all the contraventions against the law, and mostly for humanitarian reasons, I kindly urge you to immediately confiscate Sonja. Sonja’s health is at serious risk and she will hardly be able to endure more abuses.Yours sincerely